Thanks for the tip (background_dump_dest).

As for your DBA concerns...it's a development machine with a copy of a
test database so we can work out the customer's problem (or try and
work out :-)). But I hear what you're saying.

Mladen Gogala wrote:
> On Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:01:23 -0700, pfa wrote:
>
> > All I wanted to do was modify the init.ora/spfile to set a trace file
> > (for ORACLE_TRACE_ENABLE) to track down a ORA-03113 error in an OCI
> > app. However, I've just realised unless I can guess the oracle password
> > I'm screwed :-(
>
> What would you do with ORACLE_TRACE_ENABLED? ORA-03113 means that the
> server process has given up on the life in this valley of tears and that
> the real error, usually ORA-07445 or ORA-0600 is in the alert log. You
> can find the alert log by looking into parameter background_dump_dest.
> That is the reason why DBA people like me carry firearms: anybody who
> attempts to change instance parameters without approval from the resident
> DBA will be shot on the spot. You would add overhead, clog filesystem,
> slow everything down, without resolving the problem. Before changing
> instance parameters, you gotta ask yourself one question: do I feel lucky?
> Well, do you?
>
> --
> http://www.mgogala.com